> ## Knowledge Base Index > Fetch the complete knowledge base index at: https://help.lido.app/sitemap.xml > Use this file to discover available pages before exploring further. > Pure-Markdown content can be obtained by appending a '.md' suffix to the content URLs listed in the sitemap (without the trailing slash). # Triggers: how workflows start Every workflow starts with a trigger. The trigger determines *when* the workflow runs and *what data* it starts with. This article covers the seven trigger types, when to pick which, and the configuration that matters for each. --- ## Pick a trigger | If your workflow should run when… | Use… | | --- | --- | | You click a button | **Manual Trigger** | | A schedule hits (daily, hourly, cron) | **Scheduled Trigger** | | A new file lands in a Google Drive folder | **Google Drive Trigger** | | A new file lands in a OneDrive folder | **OneDrive Trigger** | | An email arrives at a Lido-hosted address | **Lido Mailbox Trigger** | | An email arrives in your Outlook inbox | **Outlook Trigger** | | An external system sends an HTTP request | **Webhook Trigger** | You can have multiple triggers in one workflow if they should all start the same pipeline (e.g., extract from both Google Drive AND a mailbox). --- ## Manual Trigger Use when the workflow should only run when a human clicks Run. Common cases: - One-off cleanup or migration. - A workflow that needs human approval before each run. - Testing. Configuration: minimal. Optionally accepts input parameters that the user provides when triggering. --- ## Scheduled Trigger Use when the workflow should run on a fixed cadence: - Daily report at 9am. - Weekly digest every Monday. - Hourly polling of a system that doesn't have webhooks. Configuration: - **Schedule** — pick from common cadences (every X minutes, daily, weekly) or set a cron expression for full control. - **Time zone** — make sure this matches your team's expected zone. The trigger emits a single item with the current timestamp. Use `$now()` in downstream nodes to reference it. --- ## Google Drive Trigger Use when documents you want to process arrive in a Google Drive folder. Configuration: - **Folder** — the folder to watch (must be accessible to the connected Google account). - **File types** — restrict to specific extensions (`.pdf`, `.png`, etc.) to avoid triggering on unrelated files. - **Watch mode** — typically "new files only". Avoid "all changes" unless you genuinely want to re-fire on edits. The trigger emits one item per new file. The item's `data.file` field is the file reference you pass to downstream nodes (Data Extractor, Copy File, etc.): ``` {{$item.data.file}} // the file itself {{$item.data.file.name}} // file name {{$item.data.file.url}} // URL to the file ``` Requires a connected Google account. See **Connect Google Drive**. --- ## OneDrive Trigger Same shape as Google Drive Trigger, but for Microsoft OneDrive. Configuration is identical: Folder, File types, Watch mode. Item shape is the same too — `{{$item.data.file}}`. Requires a connected Microsoft account. See **Connect OneDrive**. --- ## Lido Mailbox Trigger Use when you want a dedicated email address that triggers a workflow when anything arrives. Lido provisions an address like `your-prefix@yourco.com.lido.email`. Anyone can send to it; each incoming email starts the workflow. Configuration: - **Mailbox address** — Lido generates this; you can customize the prefix. - **Filtering** (optional) — restrict to specific senders or subject patterns. The trigger emits one item per email. The item's `data.email` field includes the email body, headers, and any attachments. The Data Extractor with Source Type = Email handles both the body and attachments. ``` {{$item.data.email}} // the email object {{$item.data.email.from}} // sender {{$item.data.email.subject}} // subject {{$item.data.email.body}} // body text/HTML {{$item.data.email.attachments}} // array of attached files {{$item.data.email.attachments[0]}} // first attachment ``` No external account needed — Lido hosts the mailbox. --- ## Outlook Trigger Use when emails come into a real Outlook inbox you control and you want a workflow on them. Useful when you can't tell senders to use a Lido mailbox address. Configuration: - **Account** — the connected Outlook account. - **Folder** — Inbox by default; can target subfolders. - **Filtering** — typically by subject pattern, sender, or having attachments. Item shape is the same as Lido Mailbox Trigger: `{{$item.data.email}}`. Requires a connected Outlook account. See **Connect Outlook**. --- ## Webhook Trigger Use when another system needs to push data into Lido. The trigger gives you a unique URL; any HTTP POST to that URL starts the workflow with the request body as the item. Configuration: - **URL** — Lido generates this. Treat it as a secret. - **Authentication** — optionally require a header token. - **Content type** — JSON or multipart form data (multipart for file uploads up to a configurable size limit). The item is the request body. For JSON: `{{$item.data.fieldName}}`. For multipart with files: the file is at `{{$item.data.file}}` and you can pass it directly to a Data Extractor. Webhook Triggers turn any external system into a Lido trigger. Useful for: - Embedding Lido in your own product (your backend POSTs to the webhook). - Wiring up tools like Zapier, n8n, or Make to start Lido workflows. - Receiving data from third-party APIs that support webhooks. --- ## Choosing between triggers when both work | Situation | Best trigger | | --- | --- | | Vendors send you invoices by email + you'd rather not give out a personal email address | **Lido Mailbox** (give vendors `invoices@yourco.com.lido.email`) | | Vendors send invoices to your existing AP email | **Outlook Trigger** on that inbox | | You handle invoices yourself in a Drive folder | **Google Drive Trigger** | | Your AP system can push notifications via webhook | **Webhook Trigger** | | Daily-batch processing only | **Scheduled Trigger** that picks up files from a Drive folder | When in doubt, **Lido Mailbox** + **Google Drive** are the lowest-friction options. --- ## Tips - **Start with an empty folder/inbox** when first activating a file/email trigger. Existing items can fire all at once and create a burst of work. - **Restrict file types** on file triggers. A folder full of `.docx` won't accidentally trigger your PDF extraction workflow. - **Test with a single item first.** Most triggers have a Test option that uses a recent file/email. - **Log the source** — add an Edit Item node right after the trigger to capture filename, sender, timestamp. Future-you will want it. - **Never expose webhook URLs publicly** without authentication. Anyone who has the URL can trigger your workflow. --- ## Common mistakes - **Activating a trigger pointing at a folder full of files.** It'll fire on all of them. Either start clean or expect (and budget for) a backlog burst. - **"All changes" instead of "new files only".** Re-fires every time a file is edited. Almost never what you want. - **No file type restriction.** Random `.docx` or `.txt` files trigger extraction workflows that don't expect them and fail. - **Mailbox/Outlook trigger with no sender filtering** when only specific senders should trigger work. Spam will hit your workflow. - **Webhook URL leaked.** Treat the URL as a secret and add a header-based auth token. - **Wrong time zone on Scheduled Trigger.** "Daily at 9am" in the wrong zone fires at 5am for half the team. --- ## Related articles - Build your first workflow - Nodes reference (overview) - Error handling and retries - Connect Google Drive - Connect OneDrive - Connect Outlook - Lido Mailbox - Lido API: quickstart and authentication (for the Webhook Trigger pattern)